Today we welcome our friend Leanne Vogel from popular wellness blog Healthful Pursuit. Leanne has a handful of wonderful recipe ebooks available on her website and today we are featuring a delicious recipe from her ebook Vibrant Life Cleanse Program. It’s the Red Rush Smoothie and we love it! Leanne’s ebook is a Bible for cleansing and detoxing. It’s filled with such a broad range of information and delicious looking smoothies and juices to support you through a cleanse. And yes, you guessed it, I’m going to do one of Leanne’s cleanses and let you know all about my experience. So stay tuned for that!
Here are some questions i wanted asked Leanne before i embark upon my cleanse:
There are so many different diets and theories in nutrition and food these days what is your food/nutrition philosophy
You’re right. It’s confusing, isn’t it? My motto: eat when you’re hungry. And before you do, ask yourself (like, really ask yourself) what your body needs. And, while you’re eating, check in: how do you feel? Are you full, are you not enjoying yourself? I created this free resource that breaks this process down step-by-step.
Your ebook Vibrant Life is like a bible for cleansing, why do we need to cleanse/detox?
Bible of awesome! Our bodies do a lot of work – we expose them to chemicals, radiation, stress, you name it. If cravings are at an all-time high, or your metabolism isn’t firing like it used to, or lethargy has become your middle name, cleansing is a fabulous way to get back on track, clear out built-up gunk (including bad energy, thoughts, emotions) and feel right again.
In your ebook you have ramp up and ramp down programs, how important is it to prepare for a cleanse/detox?
So important! If you go into a cleanse without preparing (eating specific whole foods meals for 3 days before a cleanse) your body will go into shock on the first day of your juice cleanse – hunger, headaches, cravings… we don’t want that. Preparing allows us to minimize nasty side effects of cleansing. And, ramping down after the cleanse extends your results. Meaning, you won’t have to cleanse as often! I created this FREE 6-day ramp up and wind down program that pairs with the Vibrant Life Cleanse Program.
You have so many wonderful ebooks and recipes, has recipe development always been a creative outlet for you?
Thank you! Yes, so very much. I like to dream up ways to make living with food allergies, food sensitivities or restrictions fun and exciting. I want to eat ice cream sandwiches, big bowls of pasta and cute chocolate chip cookies that are healthy and safe for my body (and something tells me I’m not the only one!)
What’s one food you cannot live without and why?
Coconut oil! It’s so versatile with it’s high smoke point – you can bake it with (replacing butter), cook with it (replacing highly-processed oils) AND it increases your bodies ability to burn calories.
How did you create success and happiness in your life? And what gave you the confidence and belief to follow your dreams and create Healthful Pursuit?
It was never about confidence, it was about sharing my story because (when I was lost with not a clue how to balance my own health) I had no one. I fully accept that I was put on this earth to encourage others to liberate their feelings around food – to listen to their bodies, take care of themselves and feel absolutely wonderful doing it.
What book has influenced your life the most?
Vibrant Life Cleanse Program & Cookbook by far. It’s the lifestyle I’ve been living for over 5 years. The program is solid. I created it from the ground up and have had so much success with it that creating it into a full-on program for the public is such an honour (and makes me so excited!)
What other amazing things can we expect from Healthful Pursuit in the future?
More resources (http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/resources/), more cookbooks and guides (http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/shop/), more group chats in the comments of my blog posts, tons of instagram(http://instagram.com/healthfulpursuit) recipes (that never make it to the blog) aaaand lots of (healthy) Christmas desserts.Red Rush Smoothie by Healthful Pursuit – from a Vibrant Life Cleanse Program
What you need:
- 1 Cup Coconut Water
- 1/2 Cup Cubed Fresh Coconut Meat
- 30 Red Grapes
- 6 Strawberries (i used raspberries)
- 1/2 Red Beet
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Note: i couldn’t find any organic strawberries as they were out of season, but i found some wild organic frozen raspberries so i replaced the strawberries with raspberries – still tasted fabulous!
What to do:
- Add all ingredients to the jug of your high- powered blender in the order they are listed.
- Blend on high for 1 minute, or until smooth. Transfer to a glass and serve immediately.
- To store:: pour into a glass container and keep in the fridge for 1-2 days. Alternatively, pour into a plastic container and freeze for up to 1 month.
Leanne’s popular blog, Healthful Pursuit, is a unique collection of motivational guidance and easy-to-make recipes for women who want to create a liberated life on a restricted diet. Create the life you’ve been dying to live, liberate your eating style and join a community of thousands of women on the same path at Healthful Pursuit.
